New Brunswick Latest Province to Take Steps Toward Banning Pesticides

Following the lead of Quebec, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, and hopefully, soon, British Columbia, New Brunswick is taking first steps toward banning use of cosmetic pesticides. The Daily Gleaner is reporting that 4,000 signatures were collected this past year by Tracy Glynn, forest campaigner for the Conservation Council of New Brunswick.

In the article, Glynn said a Health Canada review of glyphosate- the most commonly sprayed herbicide- is underway and should be completed by 2014. She said the review began after a number of scientific studies linked the popular herbicide to toxic effects on various species, including humans. The Conservation Council is also concerned about a decrease in forest diversity, as well as the destruction of wildlife food sources and habitats.

The forest industry is a major economic force in New Brunswick.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Natural Resources claims the active ingredient, glyphosate, is safe and is applied at or below the level deemed safe by Health Canada.

But we know how those measurements hold up over time. In the U.S., the EPA is in the final stages of another review of atrazine, another popular herbicide now linked to birth defects, even at exposure below the levels currently deemed safe by EPA standards.